When It All Comes Crashing Down
by secretsofgray
Summary: Kakashi is a counselor, and has five kids under his wing. Tempers flare, fists fly, and heartstrings are tugged. REUPLOADED.
1. Chapter 1

**Re-uploaded because this was taken down by an admin because of an inappropriate summary. **

**And let me tell you, I'm pissed as shit. Even though, technically, it was my own fault. **

**But whatever.**

**I'll putting up chapter one by itself. Others will be combined, possibly, just for ease in uploading the docs (48 chapters is not fun to go through, edit, and upload.)**

**I'm editing them because you know what, you guys deserve it. **

**So, I now present you with CHAPTER ONE, EDITED. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

**Would you original readers judge me for changing Skye to Fu? Same personality and shit, but seriously the fact that this has an OC really sickens me. WTF, freshman mind. *facepalm* **

…**..**

All of them were there for a reason.

Kakashi knew this. He didn't like to judge, but when you're a counselor for the unloved, the unwanted, and the just plain fucked-up, you could profile pretty damn well.

They were seated in a semicircle around him in cheap metal cafeteria chairs that squeaked on the linoleum floor. The room was large and mostly empty, with white floors and walls and bright, industrial lighting. It had been a church recreational center, once upon a time; now it was where Kakashi held his Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night group therapy sessions with five of the local teenagers. This was the first night he'd be meeting with an entirely new batch of kids. It also was the first night he'd made a point to be on time.

He sat in his own metal cafeteria chair as he watched them enter. Almost all of them did the same thing: walk in through the doorway, turn around and wave to their ride; then walked in, looked around warily before scoping out the available seats, and choosing one that wasn't directly next to someone else.

Only three of the five had arrived; Kakashi decided to busy himself with their files, which technically weren't files at all. Really, it was a series of shorthand notes he'd written himself, along with information sent by their respective family doctors.

Resigning himself as he always did before the start of a session, Kakashi surveyed the group before him.

There was a boy who was skinny and blond and not very impressive to look at. At an outward glance, someone may wonder why he was here. He wasn't hunched, wasn't scowling. He looked _happy,_ like he didn't have a care in the world.

His file said otherwise.

Kakashi hadn't had a chance to go over the kids' files before he left; his favorite part of introductions was seeing how well the kids' personalities matched what their doctors and family said. It was a bit of profiling with a little psychoanalyzing involved, and Kakashi had a sharp mind.

Sick as it was, he enjoyed it.

.

**Name: **_Naruto Uzumaki _

**Age: **_16_

**Sex**_**: **__M_

**Diagnosis: **_Anger Management Issues_

**Triggers:** _none_

**Miscellaneous: **_Parents found dead when he was three. He was sent to live with his uncle until very recently. His uncle is now in prison for child abuse and attempted murder. Naruto has been tested for ADHD on several occasions; all have come back negative. _

There was more; how his uncle had carved the scars into Naruto's face; how the last year had been tough, bouncing between foster homes; how the boy was 'generally good-natured' but prone to 'violent outbursts.'

As a rule, there was always an optimist who had an angry side. _Always. _

Kakashi shuffled Naruto's file to the back and looked at the girl to Naruto's right. She was a little blonde thing, seated with her arms crossed and a bland look on her face, like she was bored.

He had heard about her from the doctor that had recommended Kakashi to her, and her file said the same thing the doctor had.

**Name: **_Skye Toshiba_

**Age: **_16_

**Sex: **_F_

**Diagnosis: **_Depression (possible) Self-mutilation (probable)_

**Triggers:** _None_

**Background:**_Lives with sister; father in prison for neglect and abuse; mother walked out on the family. Has a temper and is suspected of self-harm. Intelligent? Grades slipped in past year. Does not specify what they had been originally. Apparent 'superiority complex' used as a coping mechanism. _

Kakashi sighed. Something in his gut was saying _'smartass.'_

He looked at her again. Took in the all-black clothing, the combat boots, the surly expression.

The fact that the sleeves of her hoodie were tugged down over her hands. Kakashi made a mental note and moved to the next file.

To her right was another girl, staring at the floor and looking uncomfortable, pink hair covering her eyes.

**Name: **_Sakura Haruno_

**Age: **_16_

**Diagnosis: **_Self-mutilation(confirmed) generalized anxiety(treated for) bulimia(probable)_

**Triggers:** _None_

**Miscellaneous: **_Sexually abused by father at a young age. Her father is now imprisoned and divorced from her mother. Sakura is confirmed of self-destructive behavior and suffers from anxiety attacks. Threw up meals when at teen's treatment hospital; possible signs of an eating disorder? _

Next to that, a doctor had written Sakura's height (5'4") and weight (110lbs) in red ink. Kakashi, though uncertain of the average teenage girl statistics, knew that this was not grounds for being underweight.

_And we have our designated introvert, _he thought. The file continued to say how Sakura had been the top of her class, even throughout last year when everything came to the surface.

The other two had since entered; Kakashi continued going through the files.

He looked at the black-haired boy sitting next to her, face as blank and white as a sheet of paper.

**Name: **_Sai Shimura _

**Age: **_17_

**Sex: M**_  
_

**Diagnosis: ** _A medical and psychological anomaly. Emotional detachment? PSTD? Disassociation? Suicidal?_

**Triggers: **_None_

**Miscellaneous:**_ Sai has an innate inability to emote. Unsure if this is due to abuse in developmental years or if a mental psychosis; situation currently under investigation. Uses his artwork as a form of therapy. Has talent in the field. Despite his limited emotional capacity, has expressed interest in psychology and human interaction. Attempted suicide twice throughout the past year to 'see what dying would feel like.'_

_Wonderful,_ Kakashi thought dryly. _The experimenter._

The last boy sat two chairs down, three chairs between himself and Kakashi. Kakashi saw the blood-red hair and the tattoo, and wondered if just maybe this was a sick joke.

The thick, fat file said otherwise.

**Name: **_Gaara no Sabaku_

**Age: **_17_

**Sex: M**

**Diagnosis: **_Emotional detachment(speculative); uncontrolled aggression(confirmed); insomnia(confirmed); sadistic personality disorder? Antisocial personality disorder? _

**Triggers: **_ Anything perceived as a weakness in everyone around him. _

**Background: **_Mother deceased. Was in custody of father until he was tried and convicted of child abuse and arson. Lives with older sister and brother. Lived with uncle age twelve. Uncle is deceased. Kicked out of three different middle schools. Prone to violent rages. Was nearly driven insane from father's mental and physical torment; extremely unpredictable. _

The last line was underlined thrice.

_And we have a winner! The designated hot-head with father issues!_ Kakashi barely suppressed a sigh. He'd dealt with the case with Gaara's father a few years back, when he'd been a cop. Among counselors, teachers, doctors, and therapists in the region, Gaara was infamous. He was borderline insane; he got into fights on a regular basis, with little to no coaxing. Where some could at least _act _happy, Gaara based his existence on reigning terror.

Or so it was said.

The kids were looking at him expectantly.

Kakashi breathed deeply through his nose. _And so it begins._

"So. I'm not gonna beat around the bush. You're all here because you have a story; you all have baggage. You all have _something_ that sent you here." He paused. They blinked at him. "I'm not going to pry. I _will _make you talk; not now, maybe not soon; but when you're ready." He met each of the teenager's eyes in turn. "What happens in here _stays_ in here. And to you tough guys who like to fight," here he glanced at Naruto, who smirked, and Gaara, who glared, "I do not tolerate violence." When no one said anything, he finished, "Call me Kakashi."

He suspected Skye to be the first to make a remark; he was right. She snorted. "Please don't tell me that you think letting us call you by your first name is gonna make you _cool._"

_Ouch._

"Does 'Mr.' make you feel old?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to the side.

_Don't be bitingly sarcastic to the emotionally stunted child. She is doing it for attention._ Okay, so his thoughts were harsh. But there was a way you had to deal with kids like that. "Exactly my point. Now, would you please introduce yourselves?" he kept his voice light, neutral, and unthreatening.

"How do you want us to do that?" This came from Sai; unlike Skye's sarcasm, he had a genuine curiosity in his eyes, though his voice was flat and bland.

Kakashi liked that. "You know, name, likes, dislikes, hobbies? Here, I'll do it. My name's Kakashi. I like a lot of things. What I dislike is unimportant. And my hobbies keep me busy. See?"

The pink-haired girl looked at him strangely. "Bullcrap. You basically told us nothing."

_Sharper than she looks, eh? Well…_ She _was_ top of her class, right? "It was just an example. Naruto, why don't you start?"

In Kakashi's rather extensive experience, it was always best to start with the most chipper. Naruto cocked his head. "My name's Naruto! I like ramen! I don't like the three minutes you have to wait for the ramen to cook. And my hobbies…fighting, 'cause I'm good at it, and trying out new flavors of ramen!"

_Likes ramen to a point of obsession,_ Kakashi wrote, in addition to _fights_. Not to psychoanalyze, but because sometimes obsessive habits could indicate something. _Which is psychoanalyzing._

He turned to the blonde girl. She looked directly back at him and arched an eyebrow.

"Are you waiting for an invitation?" he asked her jokingly.

"Yes, actually. Thank you." She grinned wolfishly. "I'm Skye. I like music and art. I hate bad music and modern art. In my spare time, I whore it out on the corner, worship my dark lord Satan, and shoot herion into my eyeball behind dumpsters at McDonalds."

_Wiseass,_ Kakashi wrote. The stares she received from the other students – and the chortle from Naruto – didn't seem to faze her. _Attention-seeker?_

Thankfully, the girl next to her needed less prompting.

"I'm Sakura…I like…" she paused and blushed. "Ah, _Harry Potter._ I dislike…" she stopped and rubbed the inside of one of her wrists. "_Twilight._ My hobbies are…well, I like to read."

_Shy. Escapist?_ Reading was very much a sign.

Sai was ready. "I am Sai. I like to draw. I dislike bitchy, bookish girls like we have here and boys who fight to compensate for small penises. I draw in my free time."

_Provoking. _Kakashi hurried onto Gaara, mainly because Skye and Naruto looked like they wanted to rip out his throat. In fact, Naruto was muttering death threats. "Ah, how about you?" he said to Gaara.

The boy looked at him with cold eyes. "I don't like anything. Nothing is worth my time."

"Well aren't you a nihilist?" Skye quipped. "Not even a name."

The other boy seethed, and glared at her. Skye shrank. "I have a name, little _girl_. Gaara no Sabaku."

Kakashi sensed the tension and hurried on. "Well, now that we all know each other, why don't we call it a night? I'll see you back here tomorrow, same time."

In five seconds all of the teenagers had bolted.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his face. Things looked less than promising, more so than any other class he'd ever had. _Why oh why did I take this job?_

_Because you were them, once. You know that they can be helped. _

He rubbed his temples. They might be able to be helped, but they had a _long_ way to go. He glanced at the picture of the young man, almost-faded, frame hanging on the wall.

_I won't let them turn out like you did. I promise._

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.

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**I'll putting up chapter one by itself. Others will be combined, possibly, just for ease in uploading the docs (48 chapters is not fun to go through, edit, and upload.)**

**I'm editing them because you know what, you guys deserve it. You've been the best readers an author can ask for, seriously, especially with, well, a piece of OC-ridden crap like this.**

**WHICH BRINGS ME TO A POINT: Skye = Fu. How do you feel about that? Huh? Same storyline, same personality and shit, but seriously, just not an OC because GACK. **

**Love you all. **

**-Secrets. **


	2. Chapter 24

**Chapters 2-5. **

**Thanks to everyone who left a lovely review, old readers and new alike. Still the best readership an author could ask for - here, take some love. **

**Disclaimer: don't own. **

**PREAMBLE: Heavily edited. Whoop-mega-freaking-do-edited. **

**.**

**2**

**.**

Sakura tried the door again. It was locked, just like it had been five minutes ago.

Frowning to herself, she abandoned trying to get the door open and leaned against a nearby tree.

The building where they had – what was it called? Some kind of St. –something – was situated right on the edge of the suburban part of town, where grass and trees still grow but sidewalks begin to creep in. The building was solid; a once- church, with gray stone and huge arches and spires. A wrought iron-fence enclosed the plot of grass it stood on.

She couldn't believe that her mother had enrolled her in this. It had been bad enough talking to the therapist one-on-one. Now there was going to be _more_ people in on her life, _her _problems?

They were hers for a reason. And it's not like other people, outside people cared. Her _best friend _hadn't cared.

_Well, like Kakashi said, he can't _make _us talk. I'll talk, but that doesn't mean I have to tell. _Talking – really _talking –_ made her sick. And when she felt sick…

Subconsciously, Sakura rubbed her arms through her sweater. She could feel herself begin to panic, just a little – her heart was beating faster and she was shivering, though she wasn't sure if it was from the cold or not.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by the arrival of the blond girl.

_What's her name? Right…Skye._ Sakura remembered. Skye glanced from Sakura to the car she'd just come out of, then back to Sakura questioningly.

Sakura swallowed. "He's late."

Skye frowned, nodded, and waved the car behind her off.

The two girls stood, waiting in uninterrupted silence.

Sakura wished that she had brought her iPod; she was about to, but then she remembered the one place that confiscated any and all 'sharps' – pens and pencils, iPods, cell phones, cameras, keys, _coins._ It had been better to simply not bring the forbidden objects.

A motorcycle drove past. Sakura cursed herself when the engine revved and she jumped. Skye looked at her like _WTF_, but didn't say anything.

Eventually Naruto showed up, climbing out of a Volkswagen that had seen better days; he looked around and said, "Where's Kakashi?"

Skye shrugged and Sakura stared at her hands.

Naruto didn't say anything.

Sai soon showed up, and then Gaara materialized from somewhere. Sakura hardly noticed. It was _cold,_ and she hadn't worn the thickest jacket.

Still she was better off than Sai, who had only worn a thin hoodie that, for whatever reason, left half his stomach exposed. His skin was pale – almost paper – white – and you didn't have to squint to see the angry red welts near his hipbones.

Sakura bit her lip. Kakashi would notice that. She'd already noticed, and by the looks of it so had Naruto, too. _What if he calls me out?_ She knew that Kakashi had to know about her problem, and he was a therapist, what if he made her do something? Talk about it? _Show them?_

A lump formed in her throat, and she could feel herself getting nauseous, sick –

_Please, no. Not _here, _not _now…

"Uhhh….Sakura? You alright?" Naruto turned to her and cocked his head, brow furrowed.

_Great. _

Now _everyone_ was looking at her. "Fuck _off_," she heard herself say, and took a step back.

"Jesus, there's no need to bite his head off," Skye muttered, crossing her arms.

"Fuck _you,_" Sakura said, her breathing becoming heavier. She tried to swallow, couldn't, desperately hoped that she wouldn't vomit…

"What the -?" Naruto said. "What's going _on_ with her?"

A sigh came from behind them. "This is what we call an anxiety attack," Kakashi said. He strolled up to the door and unlocked it. Then, "Skye, help Sakura in. The rest of you, with me."

.

.

.

_Great,_ Skye thought as they disappeared into the building. _I'm stuck with babysitting duty._

She waited a minute or so to wait for Sakura to calm down; after a failed attempt to try to make small talk, Skye let them lapse into silence.

She looked at the scared girl and in front of her, and felt a flash of guilt for snapping at her. Pushing it away, she said, "C'mon. It's cold as shit out here and I bet the heat's on inside."

Sakura gave a tiny nod. The two girls entered the building, and Skye couldn't shake off the impression that the other girl was hiding behind her.

.

.

.

Kakashi glanced at the three boys, choosing his words carefully. Finally, he decided on, "Sometimes Sakura gets flighty. It's simply anxiety, and there is no reason to be offended. Are we clear?"

The three boys nodded. Kakashi exhaled and leaned back, frowned. "Sai, what's on your stomach?"

Sai looked at him for a second, confused, then glanced down at himself and brightened. "Hm? Oh. Did you know that plastic spoons can be made into makeshift knives when melted down?"

"I see," Kakashi said lightly, inwardly banging his head on a wall in exasperation.

Gaara snorted. "You mean a shank?"

Sai nodded. "Precisely."

Naruto was blatantly staring at Sai as if he had lost his mind.

Kakashi cleared his throat as the two girls walked in and nodded at Sakura, who seemed okay. He'd talk to her after class. "And what prompted you to do this?"

Sai shrugged. "I wanted to see if it was as effective as a conventional blade. As it is, they're not really good for much." He looked at his stomach disdainfully. "Not nearly as useful."

Sakura frowned. Skye looked away.

"In the future, Sai," Kakashi said carefully, "Perhaps it'd be better to not test the strength of these homemade 'shanks' on yourself."

Sai nodded. His friend, Kyon, had mentioned something like that when he found what Sai was doing. Sai had been subject to the boy's lecture for the entire twenty minutes it took him to clean Sai up.

Kakashi, however, didn't know this and was slightly worried; by law he was required to notify Sai's guardian as soon as class ended.

Making a mental note, Kakashi decided to go on with tonight's session as planned.

"So," he said, leaning back in his chair, "Let's talk about music."

"What kind of music?" Skye asked, perking up.

Kakashi shrugged. "What kind of music do you like?"

Skye's eyes lit up. "A little bit of mostly everything. Except country."

"Hey, I _like_ country." This little outburst came from Sakura, oddly enough.

"No matter _what_ you like, Shattered is _the_ number one band ever to exist _ever!_" Naruto finished this statement with a semiviolent gesture that may or may not have been an air guitar. "Believe it!"

Everyone turned to him; even Gaara had stopped scowling at the wall long enough to glance in her direction.

_Aha! We have hit common ground!_

"Let's be friends," Skye said.

"I like them," Sakura stated shyly.

"They are a subdivision of 'rock' called 'post-hardcore." Sai's assessment was flat.

Naruto snorted. "Just don't call it 'screamo' or I'll have to punch you."

It was times like these that Kakashi wished he had the ability to listen to the current music scene – however, as he'd grown up on the classics (AC/DC, Metallica, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones, to name a few) he merely didn't have it in him to sink to that level.

_Whatever 'screamo' means nonwithstanding…_

Kakashi turned to Gaara. "What do you think of the band?"

Gaara took his time, first actually looking at Kakashi and then in answering. "Does it matter?"

"Just answer the freakin' question," Skye said irritably, narrowing her eyes at him. "Jeez."

Gaara glared at her for a straight five seconds. Skye held his gaze, but eventually looked away.

"My brother never shuts up about them," he stated finally.

Kakashi sighed. _So he's gonna be the difficult one._ He made a few marks in his book. Meanwhile, the conversation had picked up again, mainly carried between Skye and Naruto, with Sakura interjecting comments, albeit shyly, here and there. Sai watched, sometimes saying something. Gaara glared at the wall.

It wasn't a conversation, not really; the two teens barely looked at each other, words like _poserfaggot _and _pussymetal _were used a little too often for Kakashi's taste, and it was merely more statements and opinions about the band; an awkward interaction at best.

_But progress. I think._

.

.

.

At the end of class, Kakashi asked Sakura to stay behind. "Are you okay?" he asked, not beating around the bush.

The girl nodded. "I'm fine."

"Those are normal for you?"

Sakura bit her lip. "I – sometimes. Less so, recently."

Kakashi _mhmed._ "Are you on medications for them?"

Sakura shook her head. "Doctors didn't want me to use anti-anxiety drugs, especially if this was going to be a…" she gestured with her hand, "Usual thing. Benzodiazepine can be addictive, and I didn't want that."

Kakashi smiled. That's what he liked to hear; Sakura was well-informed and capable of choosing what she wanted. "Okay. I'm going to have to mark this – and you're going to have to give a form to your mother. Just so she knows."

He sauntered over to one of the tables that were shoved up against the walls of the room and began filling out the form. "So," Kakashi said, bent over the table, "Did you know that all five of you go to the same school?"

He could sense Sakura's not-quite-confusion, the look that kids got when they didn't know what the freaking hell adults were talking about. "Really," she said neutrally.

"Mhm," Kakashi said. "You probably have at least one class with one of them." He straightened and handed the paper. "Have your mother sign this and give it to me tomorrow, okay?"

Sakura nodded. "I will," she said, "Thanks."

Kakashi watched her go, then flipped his binder open to Sai's contact information. With a sigh, he took out his cell phone.

_Now for the fun part._

_._

_._

_._

Naruto lay on his bed, arms crossed behind his head. He had been up for the past half hour, but the will to get out of bed eluded him.

He shut his eyes. The house was strange; similar to so many other houses, but so very different.

Not _his_ house. Not the one he wanted to remember.

If he lay still, like this, in the predawn hours, he could almost see it: a blue rug, sea- green walls; a Pokémon pillowcase and an orange bear…

_And flames leaping up around you, smoke clogging your throat –_

His eyes flew open. He had no trouble remembering _that _part, the fire; the one that had taken his parents. Before he went to live with his uncle; before his hell had begun.

_But enough melodrama._

Naruto didn't believe in self-pity; it go you nowhere and made you look like a sniveling brat. Because, he knew, that somewhere, out there, there was someone who had it worse than you.

He also knew that attitude was half of it – positive begets positive. His kindergarten teacher had told him that (ironically enough, when she was putting him in time-out for pulling on a girl's pigtails) and it'd stuck.

Not that he was a naturally optimistic person, or anything.

_Positive._

Shaking his head, Naruto sat up and set his feet onto the floor. Cold, but not freezing; moderate, just like Iruka was. Everything about the man was mild – from his job (elementary school teacher) to his favorite food (noodles of any kind) to his taste (earthy tones).

There were two knocks on the shut door. "Naruto! It's six twenty! You're –"

"Getting dressed!" Naruto called. He heard Iruka's sigh of exasperation. "Okay; what do you want for breakfast?"

This question had always thrown Naruto off guard. With his uncle, he'd had to get himself his own breakfast, and most of the other places he'd lived it was simply cereal.

But Iruka was…well, _nice._ He thought of these things – he never really left Naruto hanging, even though Naruto was sixteen years old and totally responsible for himself.

Well, sometimes.

"Toast," he found himself responding. "Thanks!"

Iruka made a noncommittal noise and went to the kitchen.

Naruto blinked and rubbed his eyes. He _hated_ Thursdays. There was something about them that just didn't sit right with him.

Not to mention Thursday was the second day of the week that he had to go to…what was the name of that place?

He wasn't about to rack his mind for it now. Quickly, he tugged on a pair of jeans and his favorite orange and black t-shirt. He looked at his reflection, mussed up his hair a little more, and tried to avoid looking at the whisker-like marks on his face.

He opted out of going back to sleep, partly because the sooner he started the day the sooner it would be over, and partly because downstairs, fresh toast was waiting for him.

**.**

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******3**

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**.**

Honors Geometry was Sakura's last class before lunch, so naturally, she was the most distracted during this time. She could handle the first thirty or so minutes okay, but by the time the bell rang, she was ready to be _out _of there.

She transferred the books from her bag into her locker, pretending to be particularly busy as the other students passed. She knew that they weren't looking at her, not really, but some of them had been her friends, before. _Some friends, huh_?

Lunch was the same every day with few variations. She'd run to the cafeteria and sign out because her school was anal-retentive on knowing the location of every student at every moment, then make a beeline for the library or Computer Lab B – where she'd normally start on her homework.

But today – today would be different. Because her dear Aunt Tsunade had suggested something to her mother – something about Sakura making new 'friends' and 'socializing' and 'becoming reintegrated into her peers.' Sakura had called her aunt on that bullshit, but her mother had absolutely eaten it up.

_I'm not asking for you and Ino to kiss and make up, sweetie, I'm just saying, there has to be _one_ person who you can start hanging out with…_

Yeah, probably the only person in the damn school who Sakura didn't know.

_Who also happens to be in your group therapy and totally, like, Goth. Freaking dandy._

Sakura had been against it – _so_ against it – but her mother had made a bargain: _come home with one friend in two weeks and you can get the lock back on your door._

Well.

She wasn't about to argue with that.

Luckily today was one of her 'good days' – well rested, minimal anxiety – so it wouldn't be _too_ bad. Right?

It was with great purpose and a little anxiety that Sakura approached Skye. She was sitting by herself, hugging the wall, a chemistry book opened in front of her. Sakura took one deep breath and said, "Um…can I sit here?"

Skye looked up, blinked at Sakura. "Can you help me finish this chem homework before next period?"

Sakura immediately felt relieved. _Chemistry. I know chemistry. _"Yes."

"Then go for it." Skye gestured, and Sakura sat. She had chem first period – and had already turned in her homework –but she knew the answers and was, if she did say for herself, freakily good at it. "I didn't know you went to KHS," Sakura said.

Skye shrugged. "I don't think we have any other classes together; I spend most of my lunch in the Art Room. Except now, because Chemistry's a bitch and Asuma is an even bigger one." She snorted. "This isn't even my book. What's fifteen…f?"

"Yea, you mentioned that. That you were into art, I mean. Erm –." Sakura cut herself off and looked down at her hands. _Awkward attempts at small talk are awkward._ "What's the question?"

Skye flipped the textbook over and pointed at the problem. It was a molality problem – "You have to factor it. Here…." She took out a pencil and did the scratch work on the page of the textbook. Skye nodded and copied it down, punching the numbers in the calculator before erasing the work. "Sorry," she explained, "Nothing against you, but I'm not exactly close to Ino, and this is her book…"

"Oh…" Sakura felt herself pale. "Yamanaka?"

Skye nodded. "That's the one."

Sakura swallowed. She should have noticed the signature purple book sock. "Well…any other problems?"

Skye scanned the looseleaf she was writing on, then the book. "Yeah – sixteen b. Then I'm done."

Sakura helped the girl with that problem; when Skye was done, she got up to return the book to Ino.

After Skye left, a boy her in class with unruly brown hair and red tattoos on his face – Kiba, she remembered – slid onto the bench next to her. "So, Haruno," he said amicably enough, "Do you just flit from one dyke to another, or is this a plan to show make Ino jealous?"

"_What?_" What was Kiba implying – Sakura was straight, Ino sure as _hell_ was straight, and Sakura had no reason to believe otherwise about Skye, if how she'd gone on about the apparent hot-ness of Kurt Cobain last night…

"You know," Kiba said, slinging an arm around her that was anything but friendly "Is this an ulterior motive to get back into Ino's circle of trust, or do you just gravitate to busty blondes?"

Sakura's first instinct was to punch the fucking daylights out of Kiba, but instead she said, "Skye's not busty."

Which, though true, made her look like a total idiot.

_Fuck._ "Don't _touch_ me," Sakura snarled as Kiba laughed cruelly, recovering, shrugging his arm off her. "And fuck off." Her face was probably the color of a tomato now, she just _knew_ it…

"You wound me, Sakura," Kiba feigned hurt, but made no move to get up.

"The fuck are you saying, Kiba?" Skye was back, standing to face them and absolutely fuming.

Kiba leaned forward, wagging his eyebrows at her. "The same thing any guy would say about a girl who dumps Sasuke then winds up hanging around _you._"

_Then why the fuck bring up Ino?_ Sakura already knew the answer – this was clearly harassment.

"Go suck a dick," Skye spat, picking up her backpack.

"You mean yours?" Kiba leered, grinning a shit-eating grin.

"Slit your throat, fucktard," Skye sneered, turning on her heel to leave - which he was probably expecting.

Sakura's slap, however, he probably was not.

"Bitch and a half," the boy growled, standing up and staggering back to his table. Sakura didn't wait to watch him go - she booked it out of the lunchroom, leaving her backpack and uneaten lunch on the table.

.

.

.

Sakura didn't know how she made it through the rest of the day.

The incident at lunch – it was so _humiliating._ She lay in her room after school that day, the boy's words repeating over and over in her head.

Sakura felt her stomach turn to lead and the place – not where her heart was, but lower, where she knew the solar plexus was – ache. It always went that way, when she thought of him.

She shook her head, but that didn't help rid her of the thoughts.

_Sasuke…_

She had been half in love with that boy. Crushed on him for the _longest _time. Actually had been his _friend_, then fallen into total, deep love with him.

_No. _Infatuation._ That's all. _

But, like everyone else in her life, he abandoned her when things had begun to go downhill. She didn't know how the vicious rumors had started – how she'd allegedly left him because she decided to switch teams –but it couldn't be further from the truth.

"_I can't do this, Sakura. My time has to go to football; I have to practice I have to-."_

"_You're such a bitch sometimes, you know that?"_

"_Stop complaining, my parents are _dead_, what right do you have –"_

"Stop, please," Sakura whispered to herself, tears rolling down her face. "Just stop."

She knew what would make it stop. Once beads of red spilled down her hand, it would all go away, her mind would be empty. She could deal with it better.

But her mother had taken away any and all sharp objects in her room, and her brother –

Two raps on the door, then it opened a crack. Her brother's face popped in. "Hey, Sak. I'm driving you to St. Iggy's tonight; we're gonna leave in ten."

She nodded, and he, after seeing that she wasn't hurting herself, closed the door.

Sakura buried her face in her knees and hugged her legs to her chest. _No…_

That would mean seeing Skye.

Sakura felt her stomach tighten. She had just stormed off…not that Sakura could blame her, she had wanted to just _die_ right then as well…

_What's she gonna think?_

Sakura didn't want to face the world. That was the last thing she wanted to do. But, as if someone else was pulling her strings, at ten minutes to seven she climbed into her brother's car and sat quietly as he drove her to therapy.

.

.

.

He shuffled his papers – Sakura's mother's signature on the medical slip was added to the pile, along with a note he'd received from Sai's guardian. Sai's top, he noticed, did not show any midriff today.

"Okay!" Kakashi said, perhaps a little too brightly, "Now that we're all here, we're going to talk about scars."

He watched the reaction of the teenagers. Naruto looked at him quizzically. Sakura shrunk in on herself. Gaara frowned.

"Day three, the hell begins," Naruto muttered hand absentmindedly covering his cheek. Kakashi decided to ignore this.

"Why scars?" Sai asked. "Doesn't everyone have them, no matter how small? From the skin tissue not healing fully?"

"There are several different types of scars." Kakashi said, neutrally. "Physical ones, yes. And emotional ones."

"The dark lion from The Lion King has a scar." Skye said thoughtfully.

"I'm pretty sure he's _called _Scar." Naruto said.

Sakura nodded.

"Isn't that a child's movie?" Sai asked. Skye scoffed. "It's frickin _awesome._"

Kakashi _mhmed._ "Well, movies aside, I'm pretty sure all of you have some type of scar."

"So?" Sakura said defensively.

Gaara snorted. "No shit. It's why we're here."

"Language," Kakashi chided lightly. Gaara glared at him.

"So what do you think?" he said, not unkindly. "By definition, scars are marks left by the healing of injured tissue. You guys – you may be healed, but you haven't come out unmarred. Your scars – whether physical or emotional – are the reason you're here."

Skye already had a response. "On a physical level, scars give people character."

"_What?"_ The sound of disbelief came from Gaara, surprisingly enough. Naruto ran a hand through his hair. "Yea, what he said."

Skye shrugged. "You know, when a character – like the guy from The Lion King – has a scar, it adds to their…character."

"I see where you're coming from." Sai said thoughtfully. "It marks them out, makes them special. You know to identify them by their mark." He paused. "But when the scar is self-inflicted, it's just pitiful."

"Seriously man," Naruto said tightly, "Shut up. Before I fucking punch you."

Kakashi shot him a patronizing look, though he agreed.

"Sai." Kakashi said warningly but inwardly he was practically screaming _POT CALLING KETTLE!_ Sakura was looking down, pointedly keeping quiet and not trying to be noticed. "Did you just give yourself some very probably scars last night?"

Sai kept quiet.

Kakashi cleared his throat. _Thought so. _"So, Gaara. What do _you _think of scars?"

Gaara was quiet for so long that Kakashi thought he wasn't going to respond. But finally, he said, "What happens when you reopen them?"

Kakashi didn't know how to answer that one; Sakura, however, did.

"They bleed," she said quietly.

**.**

**.**

**4**

**.**

**.**

Kakashi sighed and shuffled through the papers that littered his kitchen table. Today was Friday, which meant that there was no therapy, no plans; a day devoted solely to whatever endeavor he chose to pursue.

Tonight it was his class.

He didn't like calling them his patients; it sounded too formal. He'd be damned if he referred to them as his _wards._ No, class, students; those terms suited him much better. He _was_ a teacher, in certain respects.

He picked out the five sheets and sighed again, like a man three times his age would. They didn't call his class the end of the line for nothing; the kids that were sent to him were usually (at least according to most psychologists) beyond help. What most people didn't understand was the difference between a legitimate mental _disorder_ and a troubled kid – it was about the same as the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist (which was also about eight hundred dollars an hour.) They didn't require medicine, but traditional therapy didn't work on them. He could get through to them, though. At least most of the time. He remembered what his university child psychology professor had said, way back when: sometimes a kid was so far down the deep end that there was no fishing him out; all you could do was give him a rope and hope that he got the sense to swim up.

_Or, _Kakashi had figured, _you can get a bunch of the deep end kids and have them help each other swim up._

That was his philosophy. Get a bunch of kids who were desperately crying for something, and sooner or later they'd relate to each other. He was just the supervisor. It worked better than it sounded; once the kids get past a certain point, they begin to communicate; they _tell _their stories, and then he can sweep in and help them. In theory, by the time the class 'graduated,' they'd not only walk away with the general stuff one gets from therapy, but friends. Real, true friends.

This group though...

Some groups took longer than others to warm up to each other. That was natural. But he had a feeling that this group would be particularly tough.

He had banked his hopes on Skye and Naruto, hoped that they, as the designated extroverts, would help warm the atmosphere.

He had been proved horrendously wrong.

He looked down at the teens' respective files. _Naruto's coping mechanisms are better than most people's but…_

Kakashi hated that word. _But._ There was always a 'but.'

_He's simply too…too _Naruto._ Blunt, loud, a little dim. Not bad in any other situation but it's a different story here._

Naruto was great _but_ too much. Naruto was happy _but _too loud. We could help Naruto _but_ he gets too angry.

And, it seemed, Kakashi was just beginning to see that anger.

And Skye…

_A wiseass if I ever saw one. She's playing this game though; she's too sharp in more ways than one to let any of the others in easily. Doesn't even try to fit in. She's got that look…_

He was torn between frustration and admiration when his 'students' knew what he was doing and tried to be one step ahead. Those were always the hardest to break. _Talking, but not _telling using sarcasm to get attention, being witty when it was time to be serious...

There was always that one.

He took a look at Sakura's folder. Pre – breakdown, she had been top of her class, surrounded by friends. Happy. That was Before – an actual, definitive, capital-B Before.

_Before her stepfather went batshit and brought everything to the surface. _Cases like Sakura's really sickened Kakashi – not at his student, no, but at the world. _As long as creeps like that exist, _Kakashi mused, _the world will never know peace. _

Now she was quiet, too quiet. Kakashi knew her type well.

_She wants to speak but can't find her voice. She'd be wonderful at making friends if –_

Another one of his hated words. _If._ There was _always, _always and 'if.' '_If_ she could tell her story, all of this could've been avoided. _If_ he hadn't gone into the room at that time, he would've survived.'

_If Sakura could break out of her shell, she'd be a great friend. It'd help the others tons, and herself even more. But _– and there was that but – _she's too anxious. Flighty. Maybe a little angry._

Sakura wanted friends, he knew; maybe not even _friends._ Just _a _friend. Her grades, he noticed, had been kept up throughout the turmoil of the past year – Kakashi was unsure if this was a natural intelligence or rigorous studying.

_Probably both,_ he figured. _She's bright. Probably a little type A – that fits in with the self-harm and bulimia angle…though I doubt she has an eating disorder. _

He took the next file. Sai's file.

He hadn't always been that way, it seemed. He had had a brother, or something awfully close. Then the accident happened and he shut down – he was estranged from his father, his adoptive brother was proclaimed missing, thought to be dead. And Sai…

_The broken one. He tries but –_Kakashi inwardly cringed –_ doesn't know how. Or he doesn't care. Something gave him the wrong idea, sent him over the edge. If he could –_

Another one of his 'favorite' words. _Could._ 'I _could_, but I didn't.' 'He _could've_ saved her, but chose not to.'

_If Said could loosen up, have some interaction with people his age, it'd do him some good. Hell, it'd practically solve all his problems. _

He stared hard at the next file before actually looking at it.

_Gaara._

He had a past similar to Naruto. The others had _known_ some kind of normalcy before their downward spirals began. Naruto had been raised by his abusive uncle since age four and hardly remembered his parents; Gaara was in a similar position, having endured the cruelty of his father all his life.

_The others, hell, even _Sai_ have a vague, if not twisted, way of how society, how _people _work. He has absolutely no idea. It's like teaching a violent kindergartener, with an all more abstract subject matter. _

The question was how _stable _was he?

_Doesn't seem like the suicidal type. No, almost every other therapist he's been to has stated that he's more likely to kill someone else. And given his record…_

That kid had been in at least two dozen _recorded_ fights in the past two years, and God knows how many before that. He'd been arrested for being out past curfew exactly five times; when he was thirteen, he'd attempted suicide by slitting his wrists; when he was fourteen he'd brought a knife to school – and had been expelled, thusly having to repeat the eighth grade.

_He's going to be the real problem. Everyone has given up on him; he probably expects me to do the same. He _likes _being feared, because it's the only form of acknowledgement he can get. When he finally cracks…_Kakashi shook his head. _Hell will be unleashed. I'm going to have to keep an eye on his especially…_

At least none of them had a history of legitimate drug abuse. Those cases, though rare, were usually the toughest ones to crack - and usually the most taxing. _  
_

But Kakashi had a feeling that these five were gonna give him a run for his money.

He held the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. _We have a _long_ way to go._

.

.

.

Gaara was about two seconds away from punching his brother in the face.

"Shut up," he growled, not bothering to even look at Kankuro. The older boy looked like he was about to protest, but a sharp look from Temari warned him otherwise. _Pussy._

Gaara shut his eyes and sat as still as a statue for the rest of the car ride. Usually with Temari driving, car trips took half of the regular time, but after the first ten minutes being this close to his siblings made Gaara's skin crawl.

He didn't know why Temari insisted on picking him up from school every Friday, or why Kankuro tagged along more often than not. It was pointless discomfort, he had pointed out, but this was one subject in which he couldn't bully his sister into giving in on; Temari was probably the only person who wasn't actually afraid of him. _Sometimes._

He usually had more luck in getting Kankuro to listen, anyway.

They pulled into their house ten minutes later. Gaara ignored his sister's questions regarding dinner and stalked up to his room.

"You really think making him go to that group thing is helping?" Kankuro's voice drifted up through the ventilation system. They were in the kitchen, directly below Gaara's room - their favorite place to Talk.

_Idiots. I can fucking _hear_ them._

He heard a _huff_ of air that must've been Temari. "It's been three sessions, Kankuro. What do you expect, that he'll come home and be better like magic?"

"I don't know…Temari, there's something wrong with him. Not just that he's angry but…he's not _social._ He doesn't date, doesn't like video games. Can hardly stand _any_ music I try and introduce him to…it's not _right._"

Kankuro was saying more, but Gaara had stopped listening. He felt himself grow angry, felt the familiar hot feeling rise in his chest. _Wrong with me? There's nothing wrong with me! What the hell is possibly wrong with me? I'm FINE! _

"I'm FINE!" He said the last part out loud, screamed at his ceiling. Without even thinking, he slammed his fist through his window. Gaara stood there for a moment, breathing. He liked the burning sensation in his knuckles, was fascinated by the beads of blood dripping onto his carpet. _So fragile..._

His sister came rushing up the stairs, threw open his door, and effectively knocked Gaara out of his stupor. "Gaara!" she exclaimed. "What happened –"

He brushed past her, past his brother, ignored their worried shouts after him. He threw open the front door and stormed off into the night.

He barely registered the actual pain in his hand.

.

.

.

**Jerkass Kiba is Jerkass, Angsty Gaara is angsty. **

**Not much more to say, except thanks for all the support, sticking with this. :X**

**I have made the executive decision to keep the OC as is. Judged as you will, because I am judging myself so harshly right now it's not even funny. Buuut, at this point, it makes sense to just keep the story as-was, with editing the prose. **

**Thoughts?**


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